The small, brown, humble-looking mutton bird may not seem so exquisite upon first glance (or first sniff), but their modest appearance belies their incredible story. From throwing themselves off a cliff for their first flight and not returning to land for five years, to flying round-trip to Antarctica every few days to fish for their growing chicks, these birds are true Tasmanian superheroes. Walking along the Nut, with evidence of mutton birds everywhere around you, spare a moment to appreciate their splendour and to listen to the warning they have for all of us.
Talk by Dr Jennifer Lavers with music by Maggie Abraham.
Suggested Walking Location
The Nut, Stanley
The small, brown, humble-looking mutton bird may not seem so exquisite upon first glance (or first sniff), but their modest appearance belies their incredible story. From throwing themselves off a cliff for their first flight and not returning to land for five years, to flying round-trip to Antarctica every few days to fish for their growing chicks, these birds are true Tasmanian superheroes. Walking along the Nut, with evidence of mutton birds everywhere around you, spare a moment to appreciate their splendour and to listen to the warning they have for all of us.
Meet the presenter
Dr Jennifer Lavers
Dr Jennifer Lavers is a Lecturer in Marine Science with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania. Over the last 15 years, she’s been studying the source, distribution, and impacts of plastics and associated chemical pollutants in our environment. She’s especially passionate about threatened species and remote islands, and has been fortunate to collect valuable data from some of the most inaccessible and beautiful locations in the world. Much of this work is done in collaboration with traditional owners and local communities, which has greatly enhanced the scope and duration of studies and led to more impactful results.
Meet the musician
Photo Credit: Oliver Berlin
Maggie Abraham
Maggie Abraham is a contemporary percussionist and composer whose improvisation and composition technique is deeply influenced by listening, observing and interacting with her environmental surroundings. With a deep love of wild places, she has a drive to create music that reflects and engages with the natural world.
Maggie is currently living in Melbourne and working as freelance musician and community producer for Big hART’s primary prevention program Project O. Having been musical director for large group works and composed extensively for a variety of musical collaborations over the past seven years, Maggie has featured in Tasmania’s major festivals including; 10 Days on the Island, MOFO, Falls Festival and Panama Festival.
Feature image credit: Jason Charles Hill
ABOUT SCI ART WALKS
Sci Art Walks is a project by Beaker Street Festival, an annual celebration of science and art in Hobart, Tasmania. The unusual circumstances of 2020 inspired us to innovate, and create something that would get people away from their screens and out into nature. You might say Sci Art Walks is a project for a pandemic. In times of uncertainty and anxiety, many of us find solace in our natural world. Creating these episodes was also a great opportunity to continue to facilitate collaborations between scientists and artists, and showcase some of the amazing talent and groundbreaking scientific research coming out of Tasmania.
CREATED BY MARGO ADLER, CHRIS TOWNEND, AND ROSIE PIDD
9 EPISODES
